US Fire Department Profile - 2018, Supporting TablesUS Fire Department Profile-2018, Supporting Tables 6 NFPA Research, Quincy, MA February 2020 Table 5. Career Firefighters per 1,000

US Fire Department Profile – 2018 Supporting Tables

Ben Evarts and Gary P. Stein February 2020

©February 2020 National Fire Protection Association

US Fire Department Profile–2018, Supporting Tables 1 NFPA Research, Quincy, MA February 2020

US Fire Department Profile – 2018: Supporting Tables

The tables in this document are a companion to the report of the same name.

The report is based on two data sources: the annual NFPA Survey of Fire Departments for US Fire Experience During 2018 and the NFPA Fire Service Survey, 2016-2018. See the US Fire Department Profile – 2018 report for full methodology.

List of Tables

Table Page

Table 1. Career and Volunteer Firefighters by Sex in the US by Population Protected 2 Table 2. Number of Firefighters in the US 3 Table 3. Career Firefighter Rates by Population Protected 4 Table 4. Volunteer Firefighter Rates by Population Protected 5 Table 5. Career Firefighters per 1,000 Population for All Career Departments

by Work Week and Population Protected 6

Table 6. Median Rates of Career Firefighters per 1,000 Population by Region and

Population Protected 7

Table 7. Median Rates of Volunteer Firefighters per 1,000 Population by Region and Population Protected

8

Table 8. Number of Firefighters in the US by Age Group 9 Table 9. Age Profile of Firefighters by Size of Community 10 Table 10. Volunteer Firefighter Tenure Period by Number and Percentage 11 Table 11. Tenure Profile of Volunteer Firefighters by Size of Community 12 Table 12. Number of Departments and Percent of US Population Protected

b f 13

Table 13. Number of Fire Departments in the US, by Population Protected 13 Table 14. Fire Department Type by Population Protected Electric Ranges 14 Table 15. Average Apparatus and Station Rates per 1,000 Population by Community Size 15 Table 16. Pumpers (750 gpm or greater) by Community Size 16 Table 17. Other Suppression Vehicles by Community Size 17 Table 18. Aerial Apparatus by Community Size 18 Table 19. Fire Stations by Community Size 19 Table 20. Departments Providing Emergency Medical Service by Community Size 20 Table 21. Direct Expenditures on Local Fire Protection 21 Appendix A. Number of US Fire Departments by Year 23 Appendix B. Number of Fire Stations by Year 24 Appendix C. Percentage of Firefighters by Gender, Race, and Hispanic or Latino Ethnicity 25

https://www.nfpa.org/News-and-Research/Data-research-and-tools/Emergency-Responders/US-fire-department-profile

https://www.nfpa.org/News-and-Research/Data-research-and-tools/Emergency-Responders/US-fire-department-profile

US Fire Department Profile-2018, Supporting Tables 2 NFPA Research, Quincy, MA February 2020

Table 1. Career and Volunteer Firefighters by Gender in the US by Population Protected, 2018

Career Volunteer Population Protected Male Female Sub-Total Male Female Sub-Total Total

1,000,000 or more 29,400 1,300 30,700 1,200 100 1,300 32,000 500,000 to 999,999 38,200 2,400 40,600 4,900 400 5,300 45,900 250,000 to 499,999 26,600 1,200 27,800 1,800 100 1,900 29,700 100,000 to 249,999 51,400 2,200 53,600 2,100 400 2,500 56,100 50,000 to 99,999 45,600 1,400 47,000 5,300 400 5,700 52,700 25,000 to 49,999 47,900 1,400 49,300 18,300 1,300 19,600 68,900 10,000 to 24,999 56,000 1,700 57,700 57,000 4,700 61,700 119,400 5,000 to 9,999 23,200 1,400 24,600 87,000 10,100 97,100 121,700 2,500 to 4,999 20,400 1,500 21,900 165,800 20,600 186,400 208,300 Under 2,500 16,000 800 16,800 323,200 40,400 363,600 380,400

354,800 15,200 370,000 666,500 78,500 745,000 1,115,000

Note the number of volunteer firefighters for communities of 25,000 or more and the number of career firefighters for communities of less than 10,000 may change considerably from year to year because of their small size and sample variability.

Population protected is based on resident population and not daytime or seasonal populations.

Sums may not equal totals due to rounding errors.

See Appendix 3 for Bureau of Labor Statistics on career firefighters (2014-2018).

Source: NFPA Survey of Fire Departments for US Fire Experience, 2018.


Table 2. Number of Firefighters in the US, 1986-2018

Total Career Volunteer Rate Rate Rate

per 1,000 per 1,000 per 1,000 Year Number Population Number Population Number Population

1986 1,045,950 1.48 237,750 1.73 808,200 7.88 1987 1,060,000 2.57 243,200 1.73 816,800 8.05 1988 1,040,750 2.22 252,500 1.77 788,250 7.77 1989 1,020,700 3.05 250,600 1.75 770,100 7.45 1990 1,025,650 3.19 253,000 1.73 772,650 7.56 1991 1,033,600 6.22 261,800 1.73 771,800 7.61 1992 1,058,300 3.94 253,000 1.72 805,300 7.34 1993 1,055,050 4.09 259,650 1.73 795,400 7.25 1994 1,073,600 4.12 265,700 1.76 807,900 7.19 1995 1,098,850 4.18 260,850 1.70 838,000 7.42 1996 1,081,800 4.07 266,300 1.74 815,500 6.98 1997 1,079,050 4.03 275,700 1.73 803,350 7.12 1998 1,082,500 4.00 278,300 1.70 804,200 7.18 1999 1,065,150 3.90 279,900 1.69 785,250 6.93 2000 1,064,150 3.86 286,800 1.64 777,350 7.25 2001 1,078,300 3.85 293,600 1.70 784,700 7.04 2002 1,108,250 3.89 291,650 1.68 816,600 7.12 2003 1,096,900 3.77 296,850 1.67 800,050 7.05 2004 1,100,750 3.76 305,150 1.71 795,600 6.88 2005 1,136,650 3.82 313,300 1.68 823,650 7.30 2006 1,140,900 3.81 316,950 1.74 823,950 7.26 2007 1,148,000 3.81 323,350 1.74 825,450 7.29 2008 1,148,850 3.81 321,700 1.73 827,150 7.01 2009 1,148,100 3.81 335,950 1.72 812,150 7.27 2010 1,103,300 3.57 335,150 1.66 768,150 6.59 2011 1,100,450 3.54 344,050 1.69 756,400 6.37 2012 1,129,250 3.60 345,950 1.67 783,300 6.60 2013 1,140,750 3.60 354,600 1.67 786,150 6.68 2014 1,134,400 3.56 346,150 1.68 788,250 6.43 2015 1,160,450 3.36 345,600 1.54 814,850 6.71 2016 1,090,100 3.37 361,100 1.69 729,000 5.99 2017 1,056,200 3.24 373,600 1.80 682,600 5.80 2018 1,115,000 3.41 370,000 1.81 745,000 6.06

Source: NFPA Survey of Fire Departments for US Fire Experience (1986-2018).


Table 3. Career Firefighter Rates by Population Protected, 2018

Career Firefighters Per 1,000 Population Population Protected Low Median High

1,000,000 or more 0.24 0.87 1.38 500,000 to 999,999 0.52 1.21 2.72 250,000 to 499,999 0.49 1.12 2.57 100,000 to 249,999 0.00 1.28 3.11 50,000 to 99,999 0.06 1.32 3.26 25,000 to 49,999 0.00 1.20 4.19

The rates listed above are based on data reported to the NFPA and do not reflect recommended rates or some defined fire protection standard.

The rates of a particular size of community may vary widely because departments face great variation in their specific circumstances and policies, including length of work week, unusual structural conditions, types of service provided to the community, geographical dispersion of the community, and other factors.

Career rates are shown only for communities with populations of 25,000 or more, where departments are comprised of all career or mostly career firefighters. Also, some of these departments have some volunteers, who are not reflected in these figures.

The low and high values are the lowest and highest values by size of community. The median value is chosen so that half the departments had higher values, and half had lower.



Table 4. Volunteer Firefighter Rates by Population Protected, 2018

Volunteer Firefighters Per 1,000 Population Population Protected Low Median High

10,000 to 24,999 0.00 0.96 13.51 5,000 to 9,999 0.00 3.41 20.47 2,500 to 4,999 0.00 6.43 26.00 Under 2,500 0.00 18.96 *

*Because there are a minimum number of firefighters to form even a single company, smaller communities of under 100 people can have very high rates.


The rates of a particular size of community may vary widely because departments face great variation in their specific circumstances and policies, including structural conditions, types of service provided to the community, geographic dispersion of the community, and other factors.

Volunteer rates are shown only for communities under 25,000, where departments are comprised of all volunteer or mostly volunteers. Also, some of these departments, particularly those with population protected of 5,000 or more, have some career firefighters, who are not reflected in these figures.

The low and high values are the lowest and the highest values by size of community. The median value is chosen so that half of the departments had higher values, and half had lower.



Table 5. Career Firefighters per 1,000 People for all Career Departments Work Week and Population Protected 2016-2018

Population Protected 40-45 Hour 46-51 Hour 52-60 Hour

1,000,000 or more * 1.53 0.9 500,000 to 999,999 2.3 1.83 1.17 250,000 to 499,999 1.89 1.94 1.18 100,000 to 249,999 2.07 1.47 1.28 50,000 to 99,999 2.02 1.58 1.39 25,000 to 49,999 2.01 1.62 1.62

*Insufficient data.


The rates of a particular size of community may vary widely because departments face great variation in their specific circumstances and policies, including structural conditions, type of service provided to the community, geographic dispersion of the community, and other factors.

Career rates are shown only for communities over 25,000, where departments are comprised mostly of career firefighters.

Source: NFPA Fire Service Survey, 2016-2018


Table 6. Median Rates of Career Firefighters per 1,000 People by Region and Population Protected, 2018

Population Protected Northeast Midwest South West

250,000 or more 2.28 1.33 1.33 0.86 100,000 to 249,000 1.98 1.18 1.51 0.95 50,000 to 99,999 1.80 1.09 1.64 0.99 25,000 to 49,999 1.77 1.00 1.56 0.97


The rates of a particular size of community may vary widely because departments face great variation in their specific circumstances and policies, including structures conditions, types of service provided to the community, geographic dispersion of the community, and other factors.

Career rates are shown only for communities over 25,000, where departments are comprised mostly of career firefighters.


As defined by the US Bureau of the Census, the four regions are:


Table 7. Median Rates of Volunteer Firefighters per 1,000 People by Region and Population Protected, 2018

Population Protected Northeast Midwest South West

10,000 to 24,999 1.27 1.21 0.52 0.74 5,000 to 9,999 4.71 3.47 2.45 3.49 2,500 to 4,999 7.79 6.45 5.86 6.37 Under 2,500 19.71 19.39 14.85 28.00


The rates of a particular size of community department may vary widely because departments face great variation in their specific circumstances and policies, including structural conditions, types of service provided to the community, geographic dispersion of the community, and other factors.

Volunteer rates are shown only for communities under 25,000, where departments are comprised of mostly volunteer firefighters.


As defined by the US Bureau of the Census, the four regions are:


Table 8. Number of Firefighters in the US by Age Group, 2018

Firefighters

Age Number Percent

16–19 32,500 3% 20–29 231,600 21% 30–39 303,500 27% 40–49 258,900 23% 50–59 189,000 17% 60 and over 99,700 9%

Total 1,115,000 100%




Table 9. Age Profile of Firefighters by Size of Community, 2018

Size of Community

Percent Firefighters

under Age 30

Percent Firefighters Age 30–39

Percent Firefighters Age 40–49

Percent Firefighters

Age 50 and up Total

Firefighters in Mostly Career Fire Departments

1,000,000 or more 12% 30% 31% 26% 100.0% 500,000 to 999,999 16% 32% 32% 20% 100.0% 250,000 to 499,999 15% 33% 31% 20% 100.0% 100,000 to 249,000 17% 33% 30% 20% 100.0% 50,000 to 99,999 18% 33% 31% 18% 100.0% 25,000 to 49,999 22% 32% 27% 19% 100.0%

Firefighters in Mostly Volunteer Fire Departments

10,000 to 24,999 27% 30% 24% 20% 100.0% 5,000 to 9,999 31% 26% 20% 23% 100.0% 2,500 to 4,999 29% 25% 22% 25% 100.0% Under 2,500 22% 24% 20% 34% 100.0%




Table 10. Volunteer Firefighter Tenure Period by Number and Percentage, 2018

Tenure Active Number Percentage

Less than one year 72,300 10% 1–5 years 202,400 27% 6–10 years 163,000 22% More than 10 years 307,400 41%

Total 745,000 100%




Table 11. Tenure Profile of Volunteer Firefighters by Size of Community, 2018

Size of Community Percent of Firefighters

less than 1 year Percent of Firefighters

1–5 years Percent of Firefighters

6–10 years Percent of Firefighters

more than 10 years Total

1,000,000 or more * * * * * 500,000 to 999,999 17% 52% 13% 18% 100% 250,000 to 499,999 38% 35% 10% 17% 100% 100,000 to 249,000 18% 43% 23% 16% 100% 50,000 to 99,999 19% 36% 16% 30% 100% 25,000 to 49,999 15% 32% 19% 33% 100% 10,000 to 24,999 12% 30% 21% 37% 100% 5,000 to 9,999 11% 29% 21% 39% 100% 2,500 to 4,999 10% 28% 22% 40% 100% Under 2,500 8% 25% 23% 45% 100% Total 11% 29% 21% 38% 100%

* Denotes insufficient data




Table 12. Number of Departments and Percent of US Population Protected by Type of Department, 2018

Type of Department Number Percent Percent of US Population Protected

All Career 3,009 10% 50% Mostly Career 2,368 8% 19% Mostly Volunteer 5,206 18% 15% All Volunteer 19,122 64% 17%

Total 29,705 100% 100%

Department type is broken into four categories. All career departments are comprised of 100 percent career firefighters. Mostly career is comprised of 51 to 99 percent career firefighters, while mostly volunteer is comprised of 1 to 50 percent career firefighters. All volunteer departments are comprised 100 percent of volunteer firefighters.


Source: NFPA Fire Service Survey 2016–2018 and NFPA Survey of Fire Departments for US Fire Experience, 2018.

Table 13. Number of Fire Departments in the US by Population Protected, 2018 Population Protected Number of Fire Departments Percentage

1,000,000 or more 15 <1% 500,000 to 999,999 43 <1% 250,000 to 499,999 66 <1% 100,000 to 249,999 288 1% 50,000 to 99,999 559 2% 25,000 to 49,999 1321 4% 10,000 to 24,999 3511 12% 5,000 to 9,999 4283 14% 2,500 to 4,999 5378 18% Under 2,500 14242 48%

Total 29,705 100%


Source: NFPA Fire Service Survey 2016–2018 and NFPA Survey of Fire Departments for US Fire Experience, 2018.


Table 14. Department Type by Population Protected, 2018

Population Protected All

Career Mostly Career

Mostly Volunteer

All Volunteer Total

1,000,000 or more 56% 44% 0% 0% 100% 500,000 to 999,999 79% 17% 4% 0% 100% 250,000 to 499,999 84% 13% 3% 0% 100% 100,000 to 249,999 87% 10% 2% 1% 100% 50,000 to 99,999 73% 19% 8% 0% 100% 25,000 to 49,999 49% 25% 21% 4% 100% 10,000 to 24,999 26% 25% 36% 13% 100% 5,000 to 9,999 9% 12% 41% 39% 100% 2,500 to 4,999 2% 4% 22% 72% 100% Under 2,500 2% 2% 5% 92% 100%

All Departments 10% 8% 18% 64% 100%

Department type is broken into four categories. All career departments are comprised 100 percent of career firefighters. Mostly career is comprised of 51 to 99 percent career firefighters, while mostly volunteer is comprised of 1 to 50 percent career firefighters. All volunteer departments are comprised 100 percent of volunteer firefighters.




Table 15. Average Apparatus and Station Rates per 1,000 Population by Community Size, 2016-2018

Population Protected Pumpers

per 1,000 Population

Other Suppression Vehicles*

per1,000 Population Aerial Apparatus

per 1,000 Population Stations

per 1,000 Population

1,000,000 or more 0.03 0.01 0.01 0.03 500,000 to 999,999 0.05 0.02 0.01 0.05 250,000 to 499,999 0.06 0.02 0.01 0.06 100,000 to 249,999 0.07 0.03 0.01 0.07 50,000 to 99,999 0.08 0.04 0.02 0.08 25,000 to 49,999 0.11 0.07 0.02 0.09 10,000 to 24,999 0.18 0.14 0.03 0.13 5,000 to 9,999 0.31 0.29 0.04 0.27 2,500 to 4,999 0.53 0.61 0.03 0.34 Under 2,500 1.13 1.84 0.04 0.91

National Average 0.21 0.23 0.02 0.17

*Other suppression vehicles include apparatus with pumps less than 1,000 gpm, hose wagons, brush fire vehicles, tankers, etc.

These results reflect average apparatus and station rates per 1,000 people by population protected reported to the NFPA. They do not reflect recommended rates or some defined fire protection standard.

Source: NFPA Fire Service Survey, 2016-2018.


Table 16. Pumpers (1,000 gpm or greater) by Community Size, 2016-2018

Percentage of US Fire Departments With

Population Protected No

Pumpers 1–5

Pumpers 6–9

Pumpers 10–19

Pumpers 20–39

Pumpers 40 or More Pumpers Total

1,000,000 or more 0% 0% 0% 0% 20% 80% 100% 500,000 to 999,999 2% 0% 0% 5% 64% 29% 100% 250,000 to 499,999 0% 0% 8% 55% 36% 2% 100% 100,000 to 249,999 1% 18% 41% 33% 6% 0% 100%

Note that pumpers reported above had a capability of 1,000 gpm or greater. Note that many departments reported other fire suppression vehicles including apparatus with pumps less than 1,000 gpm, hose wagons, brush fire vehicles, tankers, etc.




Population Protected No Pumpers 1 Pumper 2 Pumpers 3–4 Pumpers 5 or More Pumpers Total

50,000 to 99,999 1% 2% 9% 35% 53% 100% 25,000 to 49,999 1% 6% 23% 46% 24% 100% 10,000 to 24,999 1% 9% 34% 47% 10% 100% 5,000 to 9,999 1% 15% 44% 36% 4% 100% 2,500 to 4,999 2% 23% 50% 23% 1% 100% Under 2,500 11% 41% 39% 8% 0% 100%


Table 17. Other Suppression Vehicles by Community Size, 2016-2018

Population Protected 0 Percentage of US Fire Departments With Other Suppression Vehicles

1–3 4–5 6–9 10–19 20–29 30 or More Total

1,000,000 or more 0% 13% 0% 0% 20% 20% 47% 100%

500,000 to 999,999 7% 17% 10% 17% 24% 14% 12% 100%

250,000 to 499,999 16% 23% 14% 27% 11% 5% 5% 100%

100,000 to 249,999 21% 38% 13% 15% 9% 1% 3% 100%

Percentage of US Fire Departments With Other Suppression Vehicles Population Protected None 1 2 3–4 5 or More Total


Other suppression vehicles include apparatus with pumps less than 1,000 gpm, hose wagons, brush fire vehicles, tankers, etc.




Table 18. Aerial Apparatus by Community Size, 2016-2018


No Aerial Apparatus

1–5 Aerial Apparatus



20 or More Aerial Apparatus Population Protected Total

1,000,000 or more 0% 7% 7% 33% 53% 100% 500,000 to 999,999 7% 24% 29% 29% 12% 100% 250,000 to 499,999 3% 63% 23% 11% 0% 100%


Population Protected No Aerial Apparatus

1 Aerial Apparatus

2 Aerial Apparatus


5 or More Aerial Apparatus Total

100,000 to 249,999 19% 28% 26% 17% 9% 100% 50,000 to 99,999 29% 41% 22% 8% 0% 100% 25,000 to 49,999 37% 50% 12% 0% 0% 100% 10,000 to 24,999 49% 47% 4% 0% 0% 100% 5,000 to 9,999 73% 26% 1% 0% 0% 100% 2,500 to 4,999 89% 10% 0% 0% 0% 100% Under 2,500 96% 4% 0% 0% 0% 100%




Table 19. Fire Stations by Community Size, 2016-2018


Population Protected 1-5

Stations 6–9

Stations 10–19

Stations 20–29

Stations 30 or More

Stations Total

1,000,000 or more 0% 0% 0% 0% 100% 100% 500,000 to 999,999 0% 0% 5% 24% 71% 100% 250,000 to 499,999 0% 5% 50% 34% 11% 100% 100,000 to 249,999 13% 42% 38% 4% 2% 100%


Population Protected No

Stations 1

Station 2

Stations 3–4

Stations 5 or More Stations Total





Table 20. Departments Providing Emergency Medical Service by Community Size (Percent), 2016-2018

Population Protected No EMS BLS ALS Total

1,000,000 or more 0% 0% 100% 100% 500,000 to 999,999 0% 26% 74% 100% 250,000 to 499,999 2% 27% 72% 100% 100,000 to 249,999 3% 34% 63% 100% 50,000 to 99,999 6% 39% 55% 100% 25,000 to 49,999 17% 37% 46% 100% 10,000 to 24,999 27% 42% 32% 100% 5,000 to 9,999 38% 43% 19% 100% 2,500 to 4,999 41% 47% 12% 100% Under 2,500 45% 49% 6% 100%

Nationwide 38% 45% 17% 100%

BLS refers to fire departments providing basic life support, and ALS refers to fire departments providing advanced life support.

Sums may not equal totals due to rounding error.



Table 21. Direct Expenditures on Local Fire Protection

Year Expenditures (in Billions)

Expenditures (in Billions) Adjusted for Inflation*

US Resident Population (in Thousands)

1980 $5.7 $17.0 227,225 1981 $6.3 $17.0 229,466 1982 $7.0 $17.8 231,664 1983 $7.6 $18.7 233,792 1984 $8.2 $19.3 235,825 1985 $8.5 $19.3 237,924 1986 $9.6 $21.5 240,133 1987 $10.5 $22.6 242,289 1988 $11.8 $24.5 244,499 1989 $11.9 $23.5 246,819 1990 $13.2 $24.8 249,464 1991 $13.8 $24.8 252,153 1992 $14.4 $25.2 255,030 1993 $15.4 $26.1 257,783 1994 $16.1 $26.6 260,327 1995 $17.0 $27.3 262,803 1996 $17.7 $27.7 265,229 1997 $19.4 $29.6 267,784 1998 $20.3 $30.5 270,248 1999 $21.3 $31.3 272,691 2000 $23.1 $32.9 282,172 2001 $25.0 $34.6 285,082 2002 $26.0 $35.4 287,804 2003 $28.4 $37.9 290,326 2004 $30.7 $39.9 293,046 2005 $34.2 $42.9 295,753 2006 $34.2 $41.6 298,593 2007 $36.8 $43.5 301,580 2008 $39.7 $45.2 304,375 2009 $40.3 $46.0 307,007 2010 $42.6 $47.9 309,326 2011 $42.3 $46.1 311,583 2012 $42.5 $45.4 313,874


Table 21. Direct Expenditures on Local Fire Protection. (Continued)

Year Expenditures (in Billions)

Expenditures (in Billions) Adjusted for Inflation*

US Resident Population (in Thousands)

2013 $43.4 $45.6 316,129 2014 $44.1 $45.6 318,857 2015 $45.8 $47.4 321,419 2016 $47.8 $48.9 322,941 2017 $50.4 $50.4 324,986

*Adjustments were made to 2017 dollars using the Purchasing Power of the Dollar. Source: US Bureau of the Census, Economy-wide Statistics Division.


Appendix A. Number of US Fire Departments

Year Total All Career Mostly Career

Mostly Volunteer All Volunteer

1986 29,840 1,999 1,044 3,640 23,157 1987 29,741 1,683 1,335 3,635 23,088 1988 30,245 1,729 1,405 3,908 23,203 1989 30,315 1,799 1,303 3,878 23,335 1990 30,391 1,949 1,338 4,000 23,104 1991 30,587 2,017 1,257 4,162 23,151 1992 30,562 1,843 1,217 4,377 23,125 1993 30,528 1,646 1,342 4,378 23,162 1994 30,495 1,778 1,448 4,400 22,869 1995 31,197 1,831 1,660 4,581 23,125 1996 31,503 1,872 1,380 4,863 23,388 1997 30,665 1,979 1,490 4,808 22,388 1998 31,114 2,028 1,602 4,848 22,636 1999 30,436 1,752 1,639 4,651 22,394 2000 30,339 2,178 1,667 4,523 21,971 2001 30,020 1,928 1,539 4,671 21,882 2002 30,310 2,044 1,480 4,886 21,900 2003 30,542 2,018 1,582 5,271 21,671 2004 30,400 1,917 1,242 4,084 23,157 2005 30,300 2,087 1,766 4,902 21,575 2006 30,635 2,321 1,731 5,134 21,449 2007 30,185 2,263 1,765 4,989 21,168 2008 30,170 2,315 1,790 4,830 21,235 2009 30,165 2,457 1,752 5,099 20,857 2010 30,125 2,495 1,860 5,290 20,480 2011 30,145 2,550 1,865 5,530 20,200 2012 30,100 2,610 1,995 5,445 20,050 2013 30,052 2,477 1,971 5,797 19,807 2014 29,980 2,440 2,045 5,580 19,915 2015 29,727 2,651 1,893 5,421 19,762 2016 29,710 2,775 2,048 5,451 19,436 2017 29,819 2,785 2,316 5,405 19,313 2018 29,705 3,009 2,368 5,206 19,122

A fire department is a public or private organization that provides fire prevention, fire suppression, and associated emergency and non-emergency services to a jurisdiction such as a county, municipality, or organized fire district. Source: NFPA Fire Service Inventory and NFPA Survey of Fire Departments for US Fire Experience, 1986-2018.


Appendix B. Number of Fire Stations, Pumpers, Other Suppression Vehicles, and Aerial Apparatus

Year US Fire Stations Pumpers

>1,000 gpm Other Suppression

Vehicles* Aerial Apparatus

1995-1997 48,850 68,300 --- 6,450 1996-1998 51,000 69,150 --- 6,450 1997-1999 52,100 69,000 --- 6,300 1998-2000 49,200 68,200 --- 6,400 1999-2001 51,500 68,000 --- 6,500 2000-2002 50,900 67,950 --- 6,300 2001-2003 51,650 68,950 --- 6,500 2002-2004 51,450 67,800 --- 6,500 2003-2005 52,950 68,950 --- 6,600 2004-2006 53,200 69,300 --- 6,700 2005-2007 51,900 68,050 74,350 6,750 2006-2008 52,400 68,200 75,300 6,725 2007-2009 52,050 68,400 74,250 6,750 2008-2010 51,300 66,800 72,800 6,800 2009-2011 55,400 67,000 73,800 6,900 2010-2012 51,650 66,900 74,000 6,900 2011-2013 51,150 69,150 76,300 7,000 2012-2014 58,150 70,550 81,000 7,200 2013-2015 58,750 71,800 79,050 7,300 2015-2017 51,000 66,400 71,900 7,200 2016-2018 57,500 72,100 80,900 7,400

* Other suppression vehicles include apparatus with pumps less than 1,000 gpm, hose wagons, brush fire vehicles, tankers, etc. Source: NFPA Fire Service Survey, 2016-2018 and NFPA Survey of Fire Departments for the US Fire Experience, 2018.


95.3%

4.7%

Male Female

Caucasian (White)& Other82.5%

Black or African American

8.4%

Asian1.1%

Hispanic or Latino8.0%

Appendix C. Average Percentage of Career Firefighters by Gender, Race, and Hispanic or Latino Ethnicity (2014-2018)

*Note: These statistics do not include volunteer firefighters. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Annual Averages Tables Employment and Earnings https://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsaat11.htm

https://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsaat11.htm


Methodology The report is based on two data sources: the annual NFPA Survey of Fire Departments for US Fire Experience During 2018 and the NFPA Fire Service Survey, 2016-2018.

The NFPA Survey of Fire Departments for US Fire Experience Survey utilizes a sample of fire departments in the United States to make national projections of the fire problem. The sample is stratified by the size of the community protected by the fire department. All US fire departments that protect communities with a population of more than 5,000 are included in the sample. The 8,854 departments in the eight highest strata protect a population of 283 million or 85 percent of the US population as of July, 2018.

The remainder of the sample included 14,338 randomly selected departments from strata 9 and 10 (less than 5,000 population protected), for a total sample size of 23,192 (78 percent) of all known fire departments to the NFPA in the United States.

A total of 2,631 departments responded to the NPFA Survey of Fire Departments for US Fire Experience During 2018. The national projections are made by weighting sample results according to the proportion of total US population accounted for by communities of each size. Around any estimate based on a sample survey, there is a confidence interval that measures the statistical certainty (or uncertainty) of the estimate. We are confident the actual number of total firefighters falls within 5 percent of the estimate.

The NFPA Fire Service Survey is a 3-year cycle survey that attempts to survey about one-third of the states in the country each year. The survey includes questions on the number of career firefighters, the number of volunteer firefighters, length of work week, number of apparatus and stations, etc. In recent years, the survey has had a response rate of between 13–16 percent from departments.

The results in this report are based on local and municipal fire departments. State and federal firefighting entities were not included in this sample. No adjustments were made for private fire brigades, such as industrial or military installations.

Acknowledgements The National Fire Protection Association thanks all the fire departments and state fire authorities who participate in NFIRS and the annual NFPA Survey of Fire Departments for US Fire Experience During 2018. These firefighters are the original sources of the detailed data that make this analysis possible. Their contributions allow us to estimate the size of the fire problem. We are also grateful to the US Fire Administration for its work in developing, coordinating, and maintaining NFIRS. To learn more about research at NFPA visit nfpa.org/research. Email: [email protected] NFPA No. USS07ST

https://www.nfpa.org/News-and-Research/Data-research-and-tools/Building-and-Life-Safety/Fires-in-Structures-Under-Construction-Undergoing-Major-Renovation-or-Being-Demolished

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Documents

US Fire Department Profile - 2018, Supporting TablesUS Fire Department Profile-2018, Supporting Tables 6 NFPA Research, Quincy, MA February 2020 Table 5. Career Firefighters per 1,000